Honoring Empathy and Artistry: Katja Broomberg and Ada Green Named Senior Project Award Winners

Each year, the Senior Project Award stands as one of Laguna Blanca’s highest honors, recognizing a senior—or in this case, seniors—whose dedication, creativity, and impact go far beyond the project’s requirements. The 2025 recipients, Katja Broomberg and Ada Green, exemplified all of that and more.

Their project, The Sarah House Journals, began as a suggestion last fall. Though their involvement unfolded over several months, it was in May that Katja and Ada poured themselves fully into what would become one of the most meaningful and transformative experiences of their lives. The original play they wrote and brought to life was rooted in their time volunteering at Sarah House, a local end-of-life care facility. Through this lens, their project explored themes of grief and mortality with remarkable honesty and compassion.

Mentor Dr. Peter Lackner '64 praised Ada for her “natural enthusiasm, sense of commitment, and seemingly boundless energy,” calling her a vital force behind the project’s success. Mentor Paloma Espino described Katja’s “sincere and gentle approach” to working with individuals during their most vulnerable moments—an approach carried out with grace.

 

From production meetings and script revisions to rehearsals, volunteering, and sourcing original music, the duo tackled every aspect of this original production with deep care and remarkable organization. But more than anything, this project was about storytelling—sharing voices that might otherwise go unheard and creating something truly life-affirming in the process.

 

Laguna Blanca is proud to honor Katja and Ada with the 2025 Senior Project Award—for their bravery, empathy, and the unforgettable magic they brought to the Santa Barbara community.